How many games are in the MLB season?

The MLB season is the longest in American professional sports by far, but how many games does baseball have in the season?

Just about every sport will have fans that will say that the season is too long. Baseball fans look at the MLB season, however, and laugh at anyone else saying that. Compared to the other major American professional sports, the baseball season is the longest by a wide margin.

The MLB season is a grind. That’s why we have terms like the “dog days of summer”, when we’re in the midway point of the season, the weather as hot, and the grind really starts to begin to take its toll. It’s been said before and might be a bit clichéd, but the baseball season is a marathon, and anyone mistaking it for a sprint or overreacting early in the year is short-sighted at best.

But how long is the baseball season? How many games are in the MLB season? Let’s take a look in addition to some key dates for the baseball calendar that you should know.

How many games are in the MLB season?

The MLB season is 162 games long. That dwarfs the 82 games in the NBA and NHL seasons and makes the NFL season look like a cakewalk at 17 games – though the physical rigors of football do make those a grueling 17 games.

Typically, the baseball season will begin with Opening Day in March (it was March 30 for the 2023 season) and will last through the end of September or very early October (2023 will end on Oct. 1). That means that, to get to the 162 games in the MLB season, teams are playing roughly at minimum five games per week and often six times per week. Again, it’s a grinding affair, but that’s also what makes it beautiful as they work to determine the best teams over this span.

When is the MLB All-Star Game and All-Star break?

The MLB All-Star break is in July, typically, as it helps to give the players and 30 teams a break during the aforementioned dog days of summer. The 2023 All-Star break will begin on Monday, July 10 and last through Thursday, July 13 with the All-Star Game itself will be played on Tuesday, July 11 and will be at T-Mobile Park this year, home of the Seattle Mariners. The Home Run Derby will be held on Monday, July 10.

When do the MLB playoffs start?

The MLB Playoffs don’t give too many teams a break as they begin just two days after the end of the regular season on Tuesday, Oct. 3 in 2023 with the new Wild Card Round of the postseason.

Baseball made the decision to add a third Wild Card team from each of the American and National Leagues, meaning that the winner-take-all game we’ve seen recently is no more. Now, only the division winner with the most wins in the regular season will get a bye in the Wild Card Round and advance immediately to the Divisional Series.

Meanwhile, the playoffs will then end, at the latest, with Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday, Nov. 3 in 2023.